


The Arrow

by SmoakinCodebreaker



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4197174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoakinCodebreaker/pseuds/SmoakinCodebreaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How 'The Hood Guy' chose a new name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Arrow

**Author's Note:**

> Short one shot.  
> This idea came to me after I got my first tattoo. Not really sure why it popped up but I went with it. This is kind of AU-ish. Not really, though. Set in S01 prior to Felicity learning the identity of the vigilante.
> 
> The sequel to Let It Be Me is coming, I promise. I'm going on a mini vacation and as soon as I get back I'll be posting the first chapter.
> 
> You all are wonderful human beings. It means the world to me that you actually read my fics, let alone like them. Your reviews are the best thing ever. You're too hot. Hot damn.

Nights off were usually spent sitting on her couch watching Netflix all night. Right now she was marathoning Parenthood. Most of the time ice cream was factored in because, feels. That show killed them. Tonight was rare though. Not only had she gotten all of her projects finished early but it was Friday. By the end of the lunch hour rush Felicity was leaving Queen Consolidated and heading out to the country club some of her coworkers were a part of. She had to pay a fee to get in but an afternoon spent relaxing in a hot tub was totally worth it. Especially if it loosened the tightness in her shoulders from hunching over computers all day. Mental note to sit up straighter, for the thousandth time.

Routine was key in her every day life. If she didn't have routine she got distracted too easily. Even with a routine she was sometimes 'hey look! Squirrel'. Her inherent babbling was definitely proof of that. Getting to her apartment and gathering everything she would need, also quickly changing out of her work clothes, took more time than was necessary. As soon as she was ready she rushed out the door, throwing her bag into the back seat of her little red Mini Cooper. This car was her pride and joy. She worked her ass off to get it. Payments might be a bit steep but it was pretty.

The group from QC was already there when she pulled into a parking spot. Nicely enough they waited for her. Signing in and getting to their destination was easy. After another quick change into her bathing suit she was slipping into the hot, bubbling water with a sigh. She had been smart enough to rid her face of make up before getting there but she'd forgotten that one spot on her arm. It didn't take long for the flesh colored cream to wash off, though she didn't really notice. Conversation flowed easily, joking about this or that, and complaining about the really annoying coworkers who didn't understand that lattes and laptops don't mix. Or 'bad neighborhoods', she thought to herself. 

As if on cue she heard her name spoken in a voice that was becoming all too familiar. The blonde genius turned slowly towards the voice, and after a second of her eyes focusing without her glasses she could see a blurred version of none other than Oliver Queen. "I didn't know you came here," he was saying to her, everyone else around her dead silent. The man had a sobering affect on everyone apparently. He turned, introducing her to the company she was only just noticing. "Tommy, Thea, Laurel, this is Felicity. She works at Queen Consolidated. She's been helping me figure out all this new tech I didn't have access to." 

Reaching to adjust glasses that weren't there she offered up a nod of her head and a smile. "Hi," she answered after awkwardly putting her left arm back down. A second later, after everyone's names were exchanged they asked if they could join them. No one protested, Oliver and Thea were technically their boss. In a way. Not to mention the community hot tub was incredibly large. An invisible divide separated the two groups and low chatter went on between them for a while. She could feel eyes on her though. Every time she looked, no one was paying attention. There was no way it wasn't Oliver, she could just tell. Then again, as if to confirm he was in tune with her he spoke up.

"I thought archery was utterly ridiculous." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact. Felicity's brow furrowed in confusion as the two groups fell to shushed words and then silence. He was very clearly speaking to her, despite how far away from each other they were. It was then that it hit her. With a glance down at her left arm she could see clearly that her usual cover up she wore at work had all washed away. Standing out brilliantly against her creamy complexion was the black ink of her arrow tattoo.

"It is," she finally answered. There was a long pause where he just stared at her, as if he knew she would add more in a moment. Their friends eyes followed them back and forth, and for some reason she wasn't all that uncomfortable over it. "That doesn't mean an arrow isn't symbolic or meaningful."

Oliver let that process for a moment. He seemed a bit more stoic than she'd ever personally seen him. She wasn't sure if it was because he was surrounded by people he didn't know or if he was deep in thought. (Later she would learn it was his default, except for around her.) "So then what does it mean?" His question didn't surprise her. Anytime her tattoo was visible someone asked about it. With him though she didn't want to give her usual spiel. She felt he deserved a better answer.

With a deep breath she began, "A lot has happened in my life. I mean, not nearly as much as you I'm sure but for me it's been a lot. It seemed like every time I thought things couldn't get worse they did. Until they didn't." A small smile turned up the one corner of her mouth as she looked down at the dark ink on her arm. "And then it was like, just when I though things couldn't get better..." Her eyes moved up to meet his, meaning evident in her gaze, "it did. Just like an arrow being pulled back to be shot forward."

Oliver might not realize it but his walking into her office changed her life. It wasn't that long ago but already she knew that her life flipped upside down that day, and she didn't want it to flip back. His constant research projects reminded her that she could do more than crawl under a computer desk for an hour so some creep could check her out while she fixed all the wires he pulled out. He reminded her of what she was chasing in college, and that maybe she could merge it all without the mistakes she made the first go around. 

"So that's what the arrow means to me…"

A week or maybe two later a big guy dressed in green ended up squished in the back seat of her Mini Cooper, asking for her help. Not long after that the 'Hood Guy' became 'The Arrow'. Felicity couldn't have been more appreciative and honored by the new name choice.


End file.
